Day 38: Perseverance

We began 40 Days with Life in His presence, our new nature. Our old nature lived alienated and separated from God. We were hopeless in our futile thinking. With the barrier of separation removed, we are now secure, comforted, and provided for as we follow the good shepherd. Though the Holiness of God is incomprehensible, the security of our new position give us opportunity to reflect in His presence. We could never expect to come into the presence of Almighty God. But, the Good Shepherd provides a way and the Holy Spirit introduces us as innocent and beloved children of the Father.

Knowing the intent and schemes of Satan, the Father equips us to thrive in our new lives. He arms us with knowledge of the truth, righteousness, peace, faith, surety of salvation, His word, and prayer.

Our nature and our equipping are intentionally designed with interdependence in mind. Relationship with our brothers and sisters in the Church is a resource, a blessing, and a unique opportunity to glorify God. Each part of the Trinity is invested in the Church and longs for us to be one as the Trinity is One. As long as we are constrained in sinful flesh, unity will require miraculous love. We must be disciplined in our practice of humility and forgiveness and we must be vigilant to harness the power of our tongue. As one body, we should learn to view accountability as a privilege not a begrudged obligation.

In more recent sections we discussed the bigger picture and our privileged opportunities in it. From eternity past, God's plan was to reveal His wisdom through unity in the Church. Against the backdrop of sinful self-centered human nature, it is clear that agape love comes only from a new heart and life abiding in Christ. Only the love of Christ could compel us to such a radical transformation. Living now with this new perspective allows us to have eternal impact on the heavenly stage.

2 Pet 1:5-8: For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith excellence; to excellence, knowledge; to knowledge, self-control; to self-control, perseverance; to perseverance, godliness; to godliness, brotherly affection; to brotherly affection, unselfish love. (NET)

“Excellence” is sometimes translated “virtue” (also used in Phi 4:8). Paul and Peter both couple this word to “praiseworthy.” Is your faith inspiring a pursuit of “virtue?” Are you adding to your knowledge of God and our role in His plan? Have you applied yourself to less and less indulgence in sinful desires? (That would be self-control.) If you answered yes to these questions, then you are ripe for a discussion on perseverance. Because, perseverance is only meaningful if you are heading somewhere or doing something already.

"We can understand perseverance as a continuous drive to reach our goals and improve our skills and performance through persistent effort. It is a form of purposefulness and goal-orientation, which requires long-term commitment and discipline. It is fueled by passion." - Anna K. Schaffner, PhD

The words perseverance, persevere, and patience occur often in the New Testament. Often they accompany the challenging doctrinal truth that God begins a “good work” in us and is faithful to complete it...and throughout the sanctification process we should expect significant challenges which require a diligent response on our part.

1 Timothy 4:16 :Be conscientious about how you live and what you teach. Persevere in this, because by doing so you will save both yourself and those who listen to you. (NET)

Do you imagine “making your life count for Christ” to be a jump, a sprint, or a marathon?

Only a few topics remain in the 40 Days cycle. If you've given serious attention to each of the topics up to now, you know something about perseverance already. Let's take a moment to recap the journey thus far.

Faithful with Little